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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23111833">Silver Waves</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/aizawhat/pseuds/aizawhat'>aizawhat</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Alternate Universe - Surfers, Beach Volleyball, Beaches, Beachside Shenanigans, Dorks in Love, F/F, Fake Dating, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fear of Drowning, Friendly Bets, Fukurodani - Freeform, Fukurodani Nature Trail, Gay Panic, Karasuno, Karasuno Surfing Club, M/M, Mermaids, Minor Injuries, Multi, Nekoma, Nekoma Vet Clinic, Seijoh Surfing Club, Surfers, Surfing, Ukai's Store, i will add more tags :), mentions of seijoh - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 15:46:44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>15,752</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23111833</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/aizawhat/pseuds/aizawhat</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Daichi is a surfer, he lives for excitement.<br/>But he wouldn't exactly call inviting a merman to a surfing competition and dinner "exciting". More... "Fucking stupid".</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Shimizu Kiyoko/Yachi Hitoka, Takeda Ittetsu/Ukai Keishin, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>48</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Daichi was not prepared for today.</p><p>In fact, he wasn't sure that one could even remotely prepare themselves for a day with Shouyou Hinata and Yuu Nishinoya. Maybe with some emergency shots of five-hour energy and some earplugs... Neither of which he had.</p><p>It was a Saturday morning, pretty early, the kind of morning that, if not on a weekend, Daichi would usually spend sleeping in then going on a jog. Behind him, he could hear the sound of shutters being lifted, no doubt the beachside stores opening for the day. They were colourful, like jewels on the coast, selling ice creams and information on the island. Saturdays were often packed full of clucking tourists, trying and failing to speak in the local dialect and crowding every building on the coast. But, as the weather chilled, less people saw the appeal in sunbathing and exploring on the beach. At this time of the year, it was only the locals around. It was nice, everyone knew everyone and their families, everyone had grown up together. Daichi knew many of the shop owners - had gone to high school and surfing classes with a few - and they'd all managed to stay sane and on the island at the same time. Briefly, on that note, he wondered whether Ukai maybe stocked caffeine pills... But that thought was quickly squashed by the recollection that he didn't even sell functional beach balls, so fat chance of that.</p><p>Keishin Ukai's little beachside store was not something Daichi would describe as excellent. Functional, certainly, even with only him working there. It was dusty and old-fashioned, the bamboo and wood it was constructed out of has faded in colour over the many years it had been standing there. He sold anything he felt he could sell, flip-flops, ice cream, soda, volleyballs and beach balls, its shelves had something different every week. Its name, Sakanoshita, meant 'at the bottom of a hill', which was just infuriatingly uncreative. It wasn't <em>strictly</em> incorrect, there was a mountain nearby, in the middle of the island, and there was the cliff a few miles away, but most people ignored the name and just called it Ukai's store.</p><p>The wind was light and stung his cheeks with its slight chill, but it was nothing too unbearable. Nothing too disruptive either. Surfing with high winds was never a good idea on this bay, but a little couldn't hurt anyone. The sun was out, for now, but even just watching for a few seconds he could see the clouds moving towards it ominously, threatening to smother its light. To his right, sand spread out as far as the eye could see, waves crashing almost therapeutically into it, and to his left, rocks began to gather on the shore, getting bigger and bigger until, finally, there was a rocky headland, sprinkled with a few old, white cottages. It was a good bay for surfing. A good morning for it, too.</p><p>If Hinata and Nishinoya were ever on-time for anything, they would have been there by now, boards in hand, teeth grit in determination to tame the rough waves. But no, Daichi was always left waiting, standing alone in his black hoodie, keeping him from freezing to death with only his black and orange wetsuit beneath it. His board sat motionless beside him, tail buried in the sand to keep it from falling over. The slight wind caused it to sway, but it never fell. He had owned this board for years; he had won more contests on it than he can count. It was worn, considerably so, with scratches along the bottom from collisons with rocks and dents where he had fallen on it maybe a little too hard.</p><p>Daichi had been surfing since he was a kid, it was something almost everyone locally had tried at least once. Not many stayed with it like Daichi had, they just tried it out on days at the beach for something to do. But no, Daichi was serious about it, he couldn't count how many competitions he'd entered, how many he'd <em>won</em>. Not much time for competitions these days, though. His days were spent doing his online university course, working at his part-time job and teaching Short and Shorter.</p><p>Speak of the devil, he heard car doors slamming behind him. Their excited chattering could be heard from all the way on the promenade, no doubt where Nishinoya had parked his car.</p><p>"Hey!" Daichi turned, waving his hand to them to get their attention. Hinata, the fluff of ginger hair he was, waved his entire arm at Daichi, beaming.</p><p>"Hey, Daichi!" He started to run, down the stairs from the promenade, his board secured under his arm. The green, red and white mix of colours printed on it were eye-catching, but only brought the Italian flag to mind, a comparison which Hinata didn't appreciate. He didn't realise when buying it, it just caught his eye, and it was the perfect length for him, so he bought it on the spot.</p><p>"Morning!" Nishinoya was left to stroll over, stretching one arm in the air. "Sorry we're late, Shouyou couldn't find his wetsuit!" Despite knowing it'd be ruined by the saltwater, Nishinoya always spiked up his hair with gel before lessons. Daichi had given up trying to convince him not to bother.</p><p>"It's alright, it's your time you're wasting, not mine."</p><p>"Blegh, you sound like a teacher." Hinata dug the tail of his board into the sand when he stopped in front of Daichi, Nishinoya just behind.</p><p>"From 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. every Saturday, I am a teacher." He replied, crossing his arms. "Of you two idiots. Have you warmed up yet?"</p><p>Nishinoya nodded, displaying his stretched muscles by reaching down to touch his hands flat on the sand. "Yeah, before we left."</p><p>"Last one in the water's a rotten egg!" The youngest cheered, going to seize his board from its standing position, but the front of the hoodie covering his wetsuit was grabbed by Daichi before he had the chance.</p><p>"Ah-ah, Hinata. Not yet. Did both of you eat this morning?"</p><p>"Yes." They both groaned in unison. This was a routine they went through ever Saturday, Daichi interrogating them on how well they were taking care of themselves and how fit they were to be surfing. Unneeded in their opinion, but Daichi always insisted. <em>It's important, </em>he always said,<em> I don't want either of you passing out while on the water.</em></p><p>"Something energy-rich?"</p><p>"Sugary cereal, so... I guess?"</p><p>With a roll of his eyes and a laugh, Daichi jabbed his thumb behind him, towards the crashing water. "Alright. Go ahead."</p><p>They seized their boards from their standing position in the sand, then dashed to the water. They didn't flinch when stepping over the line of rocks and shells, their feet had long grown used to such surfaces. Daichi followed behind them, at a walk instead of a run, stopping briefly to strap the leg rope around his ankle.</p><p>He'd been teaching Nishinoya for over six months now, as a favour to a certain gentle giant friend of his. Yes, he should <em>probably</em> charge money for his excellent teaching and years of experience, but he was doing it from the kindness in his heart. Not for money.
And besides, the best way to learn and get better is to teach.

He’d only taught Hinata for two or three months, and already he was just as good as Nishinoya. He picked things up quickly, sure he always had his own way of doing them (<em>why</em> did he close his eyes when doing a tail slide?), but he was good nonetheless. Nishinoya was at the point of creating his own moves, such as his own version of a roundhouse cutback with a snap, which he called ‘Rolling Thunder’.

Yes, his little apprentices were ridiculous, but they were good. In Daichi’s own opinion, they could go pro just like him in a matter of months. They’d probably insist on sooner, in fact.

Crawling out onto the water on his board, Daichi watched Hinata fiercely pushing and paddling himself through the water, speeding ahead of a complaining Nishinoya. The waves were good, not too high and not too infrequent, but with this high-winds and cloudy weather, it could change on a dime. He’d have to watch out for that, he knew the two younger wouldn’t.

“Daichi! Shouyou!” Noya yelled over the crash of the waves and the wind in their ears. “Watch!” He pushed himself up on his board, from lying on his stomach, to crouching, to standing semi-steadily on his orange, black-striped board.</p><p>Daichi knew what he was doing before he exclaimed it loudly and proudly.</p><p>“Roooolling...” It was a low growl in Noya’s throat, determined and excited.

Hinata beamed in excitement, unable to contain it in his small body, quickly scrambling to his feet on his board. He was careful to keep his distance as Nishinoya rode along to catch an approaching wave. He picked up speed at the same rate as the wave did, and it got bigger and bigger as he got closer and closer. “THUNDEEEER!” He whipped his board around, picking up speed on the curl, then turning again to do a snap (and splashing up a spray of water that Daichi had to duck to avoid), as a result doing a figure-of-8 as he rode along the wave. Hinata cheered, waving his arms in the air, managing to somehow keep his balance on his teetering board.</p><p>“Noyaaaa!” He screamed. “You gotta teach me that, please, please! It’s so cool!”</p><p>“I dunno, it’s a pretty advanced move.” Was his reply, even thought Daichi knew for a fact that it wasn’t. A roundhouse cutback was one of the easier moves in fact, and making it end with a snap (thus making it Nishinoya’s own unique move) didn’t increase the difficulty all that much. But, he let Nishinoya bask in Hinata’s excited praise. “You’ve just mastered the snap and the tail slide, haven’t you?”</p><p>“Yeah, but a roundhouse is just a snap but twice.” Hinata crouched down to paddle himself closer to an oncoming wave, waiting for it to break.</p><p>“Exactly! So, you just gotta—“ Daichi cut him off. Noya was good, but he definitely wasn’t the best teacher.</p><p>“Hinata, maybe it’s not the best idea to start with that.” Daichi said, trying to soothe his excitement. He was keenly aware of the wind picking up, making it hard to hear each other, and though he didn’t notice it, it was pushing their boards towards the nearby headland. “I was thinking we’d start with some tail slides, I’d have to see what the weather’s like afterwards, but if it’s okay—“</p><p>“Daichi, I’ll be fine!”</p><p><em>Famous last words,</em> he thought grimly, as Hinata lined his board up to catch the next wave. Both Daichi and Nishinoya allowed the water to push them back and to the side with each bump in the water, so they were well out of his way.</p><p>He knew there was no way to chill Hinata out when he was challenged. Especially if it was a difficult or bordering-on-dangerous one. It only riled him up more. Daichi couldn’t even refuse him without the risk of him trying it on his own, which would only end in disaster, in the form of a broken bone or a broken board.</p><p>“Alright,” Daichi said slowly, but loudly, so the ginger would hear him. “To do Noya’s move,” He refused to call it the Rolling Thunder, “First it’s a roundhouse. You do a figure-of-8 before the wave breaks, you gotta build up some speed to do it. Whip around quickly so you don’t end up sailing backwards. You already know how to do a snap, just turn quickly, leaning heavily on your left foot, got that?”</p><p>“So I gotta do a WHOOSH, and then a WHOOM, a SWISH, then a POW and a SPLASH, right?!”</p><p>Daichi paused, then just sighed. “Sure.”</p><p>The wave picked up speed as it approached Hinata, and he stood back up on his board, his paddling helping him speed towards it.</p><p>The wave got higher, and higher, as he sped across it, but performing the manoeuvre with relative ease. He didn’t manage the snap at the end, but that was to be expected for a first try. Noya yelled with glee, applauding, but Daichi was busy watching the water.</p><p>The wave hadn’t broken yet, only getting higher, almost as tall as him (and he was standing on his freakin’ board), and faster.</p><p>“Hinata!” He yelled, managing to get a few quick words out. “Watch out, you’re gonna—“</p><p>The wave broke with a crash, pushing Hinata off of his board and directly into Daichi’s chest. He squealed, and Daichi grabbed his arm before the wave swallowed them whole, pushing them violently below the water, and knocking the breath right out of their bodies.</p><p>It had happened to Daichi before, but never while teaching. He’d probably fallen off of a board more than he’d surfed waves.</p><p>Hinata struggled in his protective hold, fighting for air that had been knocked out of him when they both collided. Somewhere above water, they could hear Nishinoya yelling, and the splashing sound of him jumping off the board and into the cold, salty water.</p><p>Daichi felt Hinata being pulled up and out of his grip. <em>Noya’s got him,</em> he thought vaguely. <em>Noya’s got him.</em></p><p>The ginger was small, but damn, a wave-fuelled collide made him feel like he’d been hit in the chest with six bowling balls. He couldn’t take a breath in the water, but his throat was in <em>agony</em>, he had to breathe. Another wave crashed above him, only pushing him further into the water despite his desperate yet uncoordinated struggle upwards. His head throbbed, then his chest, then his lungs, making everything ten times worse. </p><p>The screaming of his two protégées got weaker and weaker as another wave pushed him under, keeping him from any hope of oxygen. He couldn’t feel the board tether around his ankle anymore... Shit. Well, it was worn, it must have snapped...</p><p>Everything was dark blue now, he wasn’t sure if he was so far underwater that he could no longer see the sun or if he was facing the depths. Either way, his arms could no longer move, so there was no chance of swimming anywhere.</p><p>No chance at all.</p><p>Before his eyes closed, a quick flash of a cloud of silver passed his vision. He didn’t even have time to process what the hell it could have been.</p><p>—</p><p>Breathing a sudden gasp, Daichi’s eyes shot open, and he felt a damp hand leave his chest and his cheek.</p><p>“Oh—“ An unfamiliar voice gasped, and in the corner of his vision, he saw someone backing off from his aching body. “Breathing.”</p><p>He tried to reply, with what he wasn’t quite sure, but instead was forced to turn sideways and cough up a mouthful of salt water that made his tongue burn. </p><p>“Fuck—“ He choked out, his eyes stinging with sudden tears. Sitting up, something hard dug into his thigh, and briefly he realised that he was sitting on the black rocks of the headland near the beach. Not far from where he fell off his board, and they—</p><p>He looked at the stranger, his eyes wide.</p><p>It wasn’t either Hinata or Nishinoya sitting beside him, no, it was a silver-haired stranger with wide brown eyes and a graze on his cheek.</p><p>“What..?” He didn’t have the coherent thoughts at that moment to ask the right questions. “Where.. Where’s Hinata and Nishinoya?” He asked. “The ginger and the— the small guy. They were with me.”</p><p>The stranger blinked, just shaking his head, wordless.</p><p>He leaned close to Daichi, opening his mouth to finally speak, but it took him a moment. “Loud boys?” He asked.</p><p>“Um— Yeah.” Daichi’s eyes flicked to every detail of the man’s face. Apart from the graze and a beauty mark below one eye, his skin was completely perfect. His hair was wet, sticking to his forehead, so maybe he’d gone into the water to drag Daichi out. His eyes travelled lower. He was shirtless, for a start. Maybe a surfer too? Or just a swimmer? He looked down to see if he was wearing either wetsuit pants or trunks, but—</p><p>
  <em>Oh.</em> </p><p>“Ah.” The man nodded, uncaring of Daichi’s sudden choke of shock. “On the— the shore. Running over on the rocks, see?” </p><p>His massive, golden-orange <em>tail</em> pointed to the distant beach, where the two young surfers were sprinting across the sand, their boards left behind. </p><p>But Daichi didn’t even look. Didn’t care, when there was an apparent merman before him, just sitting <em>right there</em>, like it was completely normal to have a glittering tail with scales and— and— were those gills on his neck? </p><p>The merman stared at him, glimmers of curiosity but also concern and a little bit of annoyance in his dark eyes. He seized something by his side, Daichi’s <em>board</em> he realised after a moment, and practically threw it at him with surprising ease. The point hit his temple, and in an instant, he was feeling twice as lightheaded than he already did. </p><p>“Next time, be more careful!” The silver and orange angel said strictly. His voice sounded like it could be soft and kind. He <em>looked</em> soft and kind. He was slender and strong-looking and— </p><p>Yup, that was about as much as Daichi could take. </p><p>His eyes fluttered closed and in an instant, he passed out, his head making a worrying ‘crack’ against the rock. </p><p>— </p><p>“Is he dead?” </p><p>“No, he’s not dead. You’ve asked a million times already! He’s not dead.” </p><p>“Looks dead to me.” </p><p>“Yeah, well he isn’t.” </p><p>“... Are you sure?” </p><p>“Yes! He has a pulse and he’s breathing.” </p><p>“Are you <em>sure?</em>” </p><p>“Yes, dumbass! Get outta my way!” </p><p>Even with his aching and sleep-clogged mind, Daichi could recognise the high tones of Hinata’s voice, with a worried edge. </p><p>He tried to raise his head, to tell Hinata he was sorry he was so careless, or he was sorry he cut their lesson short, but a firm hand pressed down on his forehead. </p><p>“Relax, keep your head down.” </p><p>“Is he awake?!” </p><p>“Shut up! Dumbass, what did you say his name was?” </p><p>“It’s Sawamura Daichi! And I’ve already told you, my name isn’t dumbass, it’s Hinata Shouyou!” </p><p>“Shut <em>up!</em> I’m busy.” </p><p>The other man’s voice was unfamiliar and harsh, but his hand on Daichi’s forehead was warm. </p><p>His eyes opened slowly but surely, scanning the ceiling above him for any clue as to where he was. Old, worn bamboo held up the roof tiles and palm leaves above him. The smell of smoke hit his nostrils and made his head swim, but he knew immediately where he was. </p><p>“Ukai...?” </p><p>Daichi looked into unfamiliar dark blue eyes suddenly above him. “Mmm, no, I’m not Ukai. He ran with the other short guy to go get… Takara or something.” </p><p>“Takeda.” Hinata corrected, as he rushed to Daichi’s side. He was laying on the shop counter, he could feel the register pressing into his side and see the magazine rack in the corner of his eye. “Daichi, do you feel okay? What the </p><p>heck happened?!”</p><p>He sat up, and this time the blue eyed man allowed him. The back of his head throbbed with pain, and without even checking, he knew there’d be a bump there. He took a deep breath, pushing himself so his legs to hang off of the counter. His vision was still slightly fuzzy, but he could make the things around him out; Hinata looked like he was about to start crying, and the blue-eyed man was looking at Hinata like he was insane. </p><p>“I… Feel like I’ve been hit by a bus.” He answered honestly, his voice cracking. His mouth still tasted of salt. </p><p>As he processed the next question, it all came flooding back to him at once, and he was surprised that he didn’t suddenly pass out yet again. </p><p>Did he really see a merman? Was that real, or an oxygen deprivation-induced hallucination of his dream man? Except, with a fish tail and gills. </p><p>“I don’t… Know.” He wasn’t exactly lying. He didn’t really know what happened; if the silver and orange merman wasn’t real, then how the hell did he make it? How was he alive? </p><p>“Well, we found you on the rocks.” Hinata started, stumbling closer to him. The yellow hoodie he wore was partly soaked through, from his wetsuit underneath. “Noya was yelling the whole way over, both of us kinda were. We panicked— We thought you’d be dead or something! But we found you next to your board—“ </p><p>“Next to my board?” </p><p><em>That was impossible. No way.</em> </p><p>“Yeah! You must’ve washed up with it or something! So anyways, we put you on top of it and carried you to the beach, then Ukai saw what happened and ran off with Noya to get Takeda.” Hinata jabbed his thumb in the blue-eyed guy’s direction, a look of distaste on his face. “Then I was stuck with this nasty guy to give you first aid.” </p><p>“No, I was stuck with <em>you</em>.”  He hissed. “And my name is Kageyama!” </p><p>“Okay, Bakageyama—“ </p><p>“Shut up!” Kageyama yelled, pushing Hinata out of the way, so he could get to Daichi. He was brandishing a cooling pad and bandages in his hands. “Here. I’m not really sure what to do with these, Ukai just told me to give ‘em to you.” </p><p>“Uhhh… Thank you.” Daichi said, taking them from him. The cooling pad soothed his hand, so he pressed it to a sore spot on his forehead, and breathed a sigh of both relief and pain. “So… Who exactly are you?” </p><p>Kageyama just shrugged, ignoring that even Hinata looked interested to hear his answer. “I just moved here a week ago. There was a poster in the ferry port about a job going here, so I applied. I think I was the only applicant.” </p><p>“So you’re new to the island?” Hinata asked, getting up close to him, staring him in the eyes, like a curious puppy. He jumped up and down, so that he was eye level with Kageyama at least some of the time. “I’m Hinata Shouyou—“ </p><p>“— Yeah, you said that already, idiot—“ </p><p>“— I’m a surfer and I’m gonna be the surfing champion of the island one day!” </p><p>“Surfing?” Kageyama smirked with a snort of laughter. “Uh, alright. Dumbass.” </p><p>The bell above the shop door sounded, shrill and high, it made Daichi’s head hurt again. At the sound of Takeda’s concerned rambling, he sighed. </p><p> Takeda was a paramedic, stationed across the other side of the bay. Usually he only had to work during peak tourism seasons, when kids would be choking on food or teenagers would dive into shallow areas of the bay, but he always insisted on sticking around in the colder months, “just in case”. Daichi supposed that was extremely lucky, now. </p><p>“Daichi!” He exclaimed, weaving around the wooden shelves in the small shop, to where the injured man was sitting on the counter. “How do you feel? Is your vision alright?” </p><p>“Mmhm. I’m fine.” </p><p>Behind Takeda was a casual-looking Ukai, a freshly lit cigarette in his mouth, and a panting Nishinoya, who’d evidently been running back and forth all across the bay in a panic. His cheeks were flushed and, like Hinata, his hoodie was soaked through by his wetsuit. </p><p>“You’re alive!” He gasped, and Ukai burst into laughter. </p><p>“You thought he was dead?” </p><p>“We both did!” Nishinoya breathed a sigh of relief. “Well, thank the ocean gods.” </p><p>Takeda placed down a white first aid kit beside Daichi, rummaging around in it. “Can you tell me where you are?” </p><p>“Uhh, Ukai’s store.” </p><p>“Yeah. And what’s your name?” </p><p>“S-Sawamura Daichi.” </p><p>“Okay.” His answers seemed to satisfy the medic, and he waited patiently as he wrapped a bandage around his head, to cover any grazes on his forehead and the bump on the back of his head. It throbbed, and he had to grit his teeth to stop himself crying out in pain. “I can’t believe you, of all people, were so careless…” </p><p>“I know,” He sighed, “It was totally my fault, I was too focused on the water, instead of Hinata…” </p><p>Takeda finally retracted his hands after a minute of fixing bandages and manoeuvring wet hair. “There. That should help a little.” </p><p>“Thank you.” </p><p>“How are you feeling?” </p><p>That was a good question. How <em>was</em> he feeling? </p><p>Confused, certainly. </p><p>“Uh, Takeda— I think I hallucinated something while I was out on the water.” </p><p>“Hallucinated?” He raised an eyebrow behind his thick-rimmed glasses. Daichi decided he didn’t like the look of concern on his face. He wasn’t crazy. </p><p>Ukai perked up, blowing a short cloud of smoke out through his mouth. It even grabbed Hinata and Kageyama’s attention, and they stopped in their loud bickering to look over at Daichi. </p><p>“Yeah, uh, I saw a… Guy.” </p><p>“A guy?” </p><p>“Yeah. Silver hair, beauty mark under his eye… Orange fish tail…” </p><p>“You saw a merman?” </p><p>“I guess…” </p><p>Takeda nodded, slowly exhaling through his nose. He stared at Daichi for a moment. “Alright. I’m sure it was nothing, just your brain’s lack of oxygen… I’ll get you some pain meds for through the week.” His expression turned stern. “And no surfing for a week.” </p><p>“What?!” Nishinoya burst out in shock, pushing past Ukai to get to Takeda. “Not fair! Don’t ban him just because we were reckless!” </p><p>“What the hell?!” Hinata was upset too, both of them much more than Daichi was. </p><p>“You heard me! No surfing. For. A. Week.” </p><p>“Fine,” Daichi sighed, groaning as he pushed himself off of the counter to stand up. His legs ached from the sudden pressure. “If that’s what you think, fine.” In normal circumstances, he’d object just as much as Hinata and Nishinoya. But for now, he was unbelievably tired. He could barely put one foot in front of the other, could barely lift his arms. He just wanted to go home. </p><p>— </p><p>By the next day, Daichi was itching to take on the ocean again. </p><p>He thought he’d hold out longer than a day, to be completely honest, but despite the pain in his head, arms and legs when he woke up from a 10-hour nap, and despite the fact that on his pain medication it said he shouldn’t push himself too hard, he needed to go back to the beach. </p><p>If not to surf, to prove to himself he hadn’t been seeing things. </p><p>Before he’d gone to bed, after a long and almost scaldingly hot bath, all he’d thought about was his saviour from that day, the merman that had pulled him and his board from the water. </p><p>It haunted the dreams of his 10-hour nap. He could see his silver hair stand out against the blue background of the sea and sky, even his scolding voice made it into his dreams, repeating that he had to be more careful. </p><p>He had no doubt that what he saw was real. There was a man that saved him, and he had a tail, damn it! It wasn’t a fancy towel or a weird shade of spray tan on his legs; that was a tail. </p><p>And he’d prove it to himself. </p><p>The quest to leave his apartment was a challenging one. Even just dragging himself out of bed made his head ache. After a quick breakfast of natto and white rice, he took two painkiller pills, which actually helped the ache at the back of his eyes as he got dressed. His usual ensemble of sweatpants and a hoodie would probably do, but he found himself reaching for a dark blue shirt and trousers instead. </p><p>Locking the door behind him, he left his little apartment. He lived beside a woman in her 80s, their houses were conjoined and both only had one floor, but he had always felt at home there. </p><p>The path was made of uneven and cracked slabs, if he had a penny for every time he’d tripped on them, he’d have enough cash to fix the damn things. </p><p>A walk to the beach was only 8 minutes at most, 5 on a day when he wasn’t aching from head-to-toe. It was handy for his practise on weekends and most evenings, and for his part-time job at the library by the bay. </p><p>Yes, the library. It was a little out of character, but it was the only local job available at the time, and with friends working there, it was an obvious choice. </p><p>The people he passed on his way to the promenade all waved and smiled to him, and he waved and smiled back. A few asked how he was injured, or why he had bandages on his head, and he tried to keep his answers as vague as possible out of embarrassment. From his flushed cheeks and nervous laughter, most could guess what had really happened. </p><p>The path was cobbled and practically spotless, no litter or gum in sight. The beachside town was a haven, the whole island was, and everyone living there tried their best to keep it that way. The shops on the coast, like jewels by the sea, added plenty of colour, and the people added personality and warmth. Daichi wouldn’t wish to live anywhere else. </p><p>The beach was almost completely empty except for a few families and dog walkers, nobody that would report Daichi to Takeda or Ukai for being back by the sea so soon. He strategically avoided passing by the front of Ukai’s store too, just in case that Kageyama guy turned out to be an eagle-eyed snitch. He didn’t know him well enough yet. </p><p>The wind was cold but light, and it made the strands of hair sticking out of his bandages stand up on end with every gust. As he looked out, the sea was a lot wilder than yesterday, and he was glad to see that nobody was surfing in it. In all honesty, he wouldn’t have been surprised to see Hinata there, but maybe Daichi’s injury had finally taught him a thing or two about limits. </p><p>He stepped down onto the sand, slipping his sandals off as he walked. The black rocks were solid and slippery beneath his feet, and each tiny misstep made his stomach lurch in fear. He didn’t fancy hitting his head again, thanks very much. If he didn’t die from it this time, Takeda would certainly kill him. Then, Hinata and Nishinoya would revive him and kill him again. </p><p>As he got closer to the familiar spot where he’d woken up the day before, his eyes wandered to the water, and further onto the rocks, at the headland. Apparently, he’d been dragged pretty far inland… A few meters away from where the water crashed against the rocks. </p><p>There were no signs of any mermaid being there, then or ever before. Would there even be signs of such a thing? Like… A loose scale? No, nothing glittering or orange stood out against the black rock… There was truly nothing left behind. </p><p>Daichi turned his back to the water’s edge, peering into a nearby cave in the side of the headland. Nothing there either, besides a scary level of darkness…— </p><p>Something hard hit his back and landed on the rocks with a CRACK, not even remotely drowned out by the sound of the waves crashing into the rocks. He hissed in pain, jumping forward and spinning to look at the water, but nothing was there. At his feet, though… Was an orange clump of coral. </p><p>Slowly, he leant down to pick it up. It was damp and cold to the touch, but looked like it was freshly broken from where it had grown from, it had sharp edges and was still brightly coloured. </p><p>Without any warning, another chunk of coral hit him, in the chest this time, right in the spot where Hinata had been thrown into him the day before. He wheezed in pain, doubling over. “Oh, for shit’s sake— Can you stop?!” He groaned. </p><p>“Oh— Sorry.” That soft voice was familiar. </p><p>Daichi’s head snapped up, only to see a pair of brown eyes staring right back at him, wide and curious. </p><p>The merman had his arms folded on the black rock of the coast, his lower body still in the water while his head rested on his arms. He looked oddly casual for someone that had just lobbed sold chunks of coral at an already-injured man. </p><p>“What part of ‘be more careful’ did you not understand?”</p><p>Oh, there was that scolding tone again.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Daichi keeps going back to Suga, his curiosity and their newfound friendship making him unable to stay away. They share their dreams with one another, and Daichi decides to help Suga fulfil his dream.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>wowee!! it actually <em>did</em> only take a month (ish)! that must be a record for me.<br/>enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>If you’d told Daichi two days ago that he’d meet a silver-haired merman on the beach — <em>his</em> beach — he’d laugh in your face and ask if Hinata or Nishinoya had put you up to it.</p><p>But there he stood, staring into the stern face of a storybook creature, wielding another chunk of coral as a threat.</p><p>“Um— Sorry, what?”</p><p>“I said, ‘what part of ‘be more careful’ do you not understand?!” He repeated, twisting the coral in his grip. The look in his eyes was annoyance, pure and unfiltered, and maybe a little bit of anger. All directed at the poor, aching Daichi. Oh God, he was going to faint again. “Are you here to surf?”</p><p>“No!” He said quickly, raising both hands to prove his innocence. “Ukai and Takeda would kill me if they saw me out here.“</p><p>They absolutely would. He’d felt their wrath before, Takeda seemed tame and rather shy but if you disobeyed his informed orders, you’d get the cold shoulder of the century. With Ukai, it was more like the threat of an actual beating.</p><p>”I’ll kill you too!” The merman scolded, once again raising the coral, making Daichi take a hurried step back. He didn’t doubt his threats at all. “You hit your head and your chest was bruised, you shouldn’t be here.“</p><p>“Yeah, you throwing stuff at me isn’t gonna help that, it’ll only make it worse.”</p><p>“It’s helping you leave.”</p><p>“It’s not gonna make me leave so easily, I’m here to—“ What was he here for? To talk to him? Just to <em>see</em> him? Why didn’t he plan this out beforehand? “Um… Make sure you’re real.” Nice one, Sawamura. This was an amazing idea.</p><p>The merman’s eyes stared right through him, but Daichi did his very best to avoid his gaze. He felt like he’d melt under its intense pressure, into a pathetic puddle of saltwater on the rocks. “Make sure I’m real?” He snorted with disbelief, as if Daichi had the <em>nerve</em> to consider such a thing. “Of course I am. I’m right here.”</p><p>“Yeah, well…” He couldn’t find a retort, especially not when seeing his annoyed expression with his button nose scrunched up, so he just sighed, defeated. “Okay. Fair point. You’re real.”</p><p>“Thanks for realising.” The merman’s cheerful laughter was like wind chimes, calming and warm, contrasting with the cold waves crashing behind him and his previous cold and angry attitude. He didn’t seem to mind the water cascading over him every once in a while, and in fact completely ignored it.</p><p>Daichi edged towards him again, cautiously, and the merman made no move to launch another chunk of coral at him. It looked like he was perhaps safe, for now.</p><p>He had heard old Japanese legends of mermaids and mermen, though they were drastically different from what swam before him. They were said to be scary, murderous creatures (the murderous part, he hadn’t quite ruled out yet, but he was willing to stretch his luck. and that cheerful laughter only a few moments ago brought a feeling of warmth) that brought bad omens if ever caught unwillingly or tricked, so he thanked his lucky stars he wasn’t a fisherman. </p><p>“Have you got a name?” He asked, as he sat on the damp rocks in front of him. He leant down slightly, wheezing at the sudden twinge in his chest. “I, uh… I wanted to thank you. Properly.”</p><p>The surprised look in the creature’s eyes made Daichi’s chest twinge again, but it wasn’t his bruise this time. He beamed, flashing sharp canines at him, a gesture that probably shouldn’t have been as unnerving as it was. But it was sweet to see him smile, after so many scowls and frowns. “Of course I’ve got a name. It’s Kōshi Sugawara, but… Suga is okay.”</p><p>“Suga.” Daichi tested it in his mouth, then smiled back at him, softly. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Sawamura Daichi.”</p><p>Suga pushed himself up on the rock, so his chest was all the way out of the water, and the start of orange glittering scales could be seen on his torso. His arms supported him and he leaned forward, <em>bashing his forehead</em> against Daichi’s.</p><p>He grit his teeth in pain, quickly flinching backwards. “Ah— What was that for?!” His head throbbed, but it wasn’t too unbearable, just a surprise. It mostly just made his previous injuries throb in pain.</p><p>His eyes widened in shock, mirroring Daichi, and flinching back. “What—?! It’s a greeting!” Suga said, dropping back down into the water, then reaching out to make sure he hadn’t hurt the other too badly. When seeing it up close, Daichi realised that the back of his hand was slightly tinted orange, the same shade as his glimmering tail. His nails were sharp and his fingers were webbed. He’d never seen something so oddly fascinating. He kinda wanted to stare at it. “Don’t you do that?”</p><p>“No! We just shake hands or bow or something— We don’t bump foreheads.” He murmured, rubbing the new sore spot on his head. It bloomed a pale red, which made Suga frown again.</p><p>He took his hand away hesitantly, deciding against prodding at the red spot. “Oh.”</p><p>Compared to the back of his head, the new bruise didn’t really hurt Daichi at all, luckily. But he was definitely gonna have to take it easy over the next few days. Maybe he should call Tsukishima and take a few days off work. He could probably use a break, maybe he could catch up on his online courses. And maybe he could, y’know… Come visit the beach.</p><p>“It’s alright, it doesn’t hurt.” It did a little, but Suga didn’t need to know that. “Can I thank you yet?”</p><p>He hummed in mock thought, then shrugged. “If you must.”</p><p>Daichi smiled, bowing his head to the silver-haired man before him. “Thank you very much for helping me the other day. I’m not sure I would have made it out so unscathed without you, and… I hope we can be friends!” He announced. He briefly glanced up at Suga again to try to catch a glimpse of his reaction.</p><p>He couldn’t help a hitch in his breath when he saw him, his cheeks a gentle pink in the afternoon sun, smiling brightly and happily. He looked completely ethereal, his hair was no longer so damp, so it was slightly moving with the light wind. He pushed himself up again, leaning over the rock and getting right up into Daichi’s face. For a second, he could have sworn his poor, gay heart had stopped.</p><p>He was so... Close.</p><p>“You’re welcome, Daichi!” Suga beamed, smile so wide that his eyes closed, and silently, Daichi thanked God that the merman wouldn’t see the slight blush on his face. “Of course we can be friends.”</p><p>Daichi didn’t see Suga frown again that day, not a single time. His eyes were bright as he curiously asked who the Takeda he mentioned was, and why he was wearing such strange white cloth on his head. His curiosity was innocent and genuine, it almost surprised Daichi how much he didn’t know. Then he realised how stupid that actually was… Of course Suga didn’t know any of this stuff. Even his Japanese, when they first met, sounded rusty.</p><p>The sky darkened as the sun fell in the evening. Daichi had hardly noticed that it was getting late until the tide reached his feet as he sat on the rocks, soaking through his shoes. “Ah,” He murmured, scrambling back from the water. “I didn’t even notice…”</p><p>“Me neither.” Replied his new friend, looking up at the sky, which was being turned a pleasant pink colour by the setting sun. Leisurely, Suga’s orange tail flicked under and back out of the water, the orange scales only complimenting the pink glow. “The tide will start to rise quicker soon.”</p><p>There was the unspoken implication that this meant their meeting was over. If Daichi didn’t go home soon, there’d be no more rocks above water to sit on. It’d be pitch dark within the hour. Such was the curse of it being October.</p><p>“Are you free tomorrow?” Daichi asked, a smile returning to his face as he stood, inwardly cringing at the awful feel of damp socks.</p><p>“I’m free always.”</p><p>He nodded. “I can meet you here, if you want. In the morning.” He suggested, sounding hopeful.</p><p>Answering immediately, Suga beamed, “I’ll be here!”</p><p>—</p><p>When he got home that night, Daichi called Tsukishima immediately on his home phone. The dull yellow colour of the hunk of plastic made him feel nauseous, after a day full of vibrant oranges and blues.</p><p>“Miyagi Community Library, this is Tsukishima speaking.”</p><p>“Hey, Tsukishima!”</p><p>“Oh, it’s you, Daichi.” The blonde grumbled over the phone, completely dropping the pleasant façade he put on for customers. Daichi could easily picture the familiar scowl behind those thin-rimmed glasses. “I heard about your accident.”</p><p>He sighed heavily. He expected something like this, word spreads fast in their small town. It can be both a blessing and, more often, a curse. “Of course you did… I actually called to talk to you about that.”</p><p>“Okay.” He spoke slowly; obviously suspicious of what this was leading to. “Get on with it, then.”</p><p>“I was gonna ask for the week off.”</p><p>There was a long pause, one which Daichi spent holding his breath.</p><p>“You probably need it.” Tsukishima sighed. “So, sure. And Takeda would never let me hear the end of it if you pass out while organising shelves or something.” Damn, did everyone know about his stupid accident? Well, word spreads fast in a town so small. Daichi heard a voice in the background, and a muffled reply from Tsukishima as he pulled away from the phone. He came back to say, “Oh, and Yamaguchi says hi, and get well soon.”</p><p>“Tell him I said hi and thanks.” Daichi smiled. “I owe you one, Tsukishima!”</p><p>“You don’t owe me shit, just buy me a coffee sometime.” He replied. “Just make sure you show up next Monday, I won’t survive with <em>only</em> Yamaguchi for more than a week.”</p><p>“Don’t be stupid, you’ll be fine. You could always ask Narita for some help, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind giving you a break—“</p><p>“That’s <em>not</em> what I’m talking about.”</p><p>Daichi paused, a sly smile forming on his face. “Just don’t panic in front of him or shut him out.”</p><p>“It’s not that easy!” Tsukishima snapped, his voice hushed.</p><p>“It’s absolutely that easy. Okay, bye Tsukishima! Have a good week!”</p><p>“Daichi—!”</p><p>He slammed the phone down quickly, laughing to himself. Tsukishima’s crush on Yamaguchi wasn’t a secret to anyone except Yamaguchi. Working with them for a few hours every weekday was like spending time on the set of a romantic comedy. It was unclear to him if it was awful or amazing. Tsukishima’s constant complaining but also flustered insults and Yamaguchi’s obliviousness made for an entertaining few hours stacking books on shelves.</p><p>As he went through his nightly routine of teeth-brushing and a nice cup of green tea, thoughts of wide smiles and glittering orange and brown buzzed at the back of his mind. He tried to brush them off, think of something more important like his studies or setting an alarm to wake up earlier tomorrow, but no matter how hard he tried, it was impossible. It was like flapping his hands at a bumblebee.</p><p>He felt warm when he finally went to bed, the pain in his head going completely forgotten.</p><p>—</p><p>And so, Sunday ended and Monday began.</p><p>Daichi spent fifteen minutes in front of his bathroom mirror that morning. Being work-free was strange, but freeing. He had seven more hours than usual to do whatever the hell he wanted… So there he was, examining his various bruises and scars in the mirror.</p><p>His fresh ones from Saturday and Sunday looked pretty badass. They were a light purple colour by now, they still stung a little even when he just moved his face or touched the area around them. From Suga’s weird headbutt-greeting, there wasn’t a bruise as big as the others, just a red mark that didn’t seem to fade. He decided surely that there was no need for bandages anymore. Small scars littered his face, only visible from his up-close view in the mirror. Some were from surfing and some just from the various wares of life, events he couldn’t remember from childhood, or his times exploring the coves with Asahi when they were young and stupid.</p><p>He took his time poking at his face, then actually got on with his morning routine. A small breakfast (which he could actually spend more time preparing, so it was actually slightly more edible than usual), then clothes, then off into the world.</p><p>A morning jog was a good way to get his mind in order. The fresh air and gentle sun on his face allowed Daichi to relax. That, mixed with the streets that Daichi knew like the back of his hand, meant he could go into autopilot as he ran. He had a car, an old black pick-up truck that he loved and had gotten cheap off some old guy across the island, but usually he only used it when taking his surfboard across the island. Otherwise, he chose to walk or jog.</p><p>The whole seaside town was alive, flowing leisurely. Adults passed by on the cobbled and sandy streets, making their way to workplaces, a few waving to Daichi as he jogged past. Kids walked in flocks to the local schools at the foot of the mountain, yelling over each other and chattering like seagulls as he passed. Unsurprisingly, it brought Hinata and Nishinoya to mind.</p><p>His jogging route took him through the colourful town and down to the promenade by the sand. The various tourist shops, places offering ice creams and jewellery made of shells found on the beach, were all closed up, metal shutters shielding them from the outside world. The colourful roofs still made them a bright addition to the beach. The only one open, stubborn as usual, was Ukai’s.</p><p>Daichi regained control of his legs when he passed the familiar brightly coloured sign, careful to run behind the shop instead of in front of it. He wasn’t sure Takeda would even be there at that time in the morning, but he wasn’t taking any risks. Ukai would most certainly rat him out or scold Daichi himself.</p><p>Weaving around the shop, he rushed to the nearest set of stairs down from the promenade to the golden sand of the beach. Not many people were around at this time, so the coast was clear. Running on the sand was harder and just got handfuls of sand into his shoes, so he gave up after a valiant attempt. His eyes never left the dark rocks of the side of the bay, watching for any sign of an orange tail in the water or silver hair drying in the wind. He didn’t see anything, not even as he clambered across the rocks, towards the water. The crashing of the waves usually didn’t bother him, in fact it was comforting in a way, but today it only annoyed him. It would only muffle the sound of a voice or a splash.</p><p>He sat at a safe distance from the water, where the crashing waves only barely reached him. It was a clear, nice day, the wind was chilly but the sun was out. It narrowly kept him from shivering in the cold.</p><p>Daichi waited there for several minutes, pulling his legs into a basket position and resting his head upon his propped-up hands. In the back of his mind, he wished he’d brought his phone. But, then again, Suga probably wouldn’t appreciate it that much, whether it be because of his possibly limited knowledge on technology, or because he could use it to take photos. Not that he would, obviously.</p><p>In fact, it wasn’t clear if Suga was a secret merman at all. Maybe he was friends with a few islanders... He hadn’t gotten the impression that Suga was trying to hide himself in the slightest, saving a man from drowning and throwing things at him with obvious violence afterwards didn’t exactly have an air of secrecy around it.</p><p>At that thought, he saw a flash of pale orange out of the corner of his eye, and looked up. A few seconds later, Suga’s tail flicked out of the water, as if in greeting, and Daichi couldn’t keep back his smile.</p><p>Closer to the rocks now, Suga popped out of the water. “Morning.”</p><p>“Morning.” Daichi waved, leaning forward towards him. “Did you sleep well last night?”<br/>
Was it alright to default to his usual small talk when talking to a merman? Was that normal? Could it possibly be rude? Do mermen sleep? These were all very important questions.</p><p>“Yeah, the water was warm at least.” Oh, so he did sleep. “Just the usual.” It didn't seem to be rude to ask, either.</p><p>His tone of boredom was puzzling, though. Who’d be bored if you were a <em>mermaid?</em> Apparently Suga was. He was a puzzling guy. It gave Daichi a thrill thrumming in his chest just to talk to him. Did the merman feel the same? Or was Daichi just some lesser guy compared to him?</p><p>“So, what’s your “usual”, hmm?” He asked, his genuine curiosity shining through.</p><p>Suga considered the question, pulling himself up onto the rocks so he was sitting in front of Daichi but his tail could still touch the water. He hummed, tapping his chin. “I wake up, catch breakfast, swim, catch dinner, swim, go to sleep.”</p><p>There was another pause. “I imagined something more exciting.”</p><p>“Huh? How exciting did you think it’d be?”</p><p>“I don’t know! Just… More than that.”</p><p>In all honesty, he expected The Little Mermaid. Or Atlantis. He expected hundreds of mermaids wielding tridents, curses and hidden treasure, conflict with sharks maybe, something legendary. </p><p>“There’s nothing underwater.” Suga said, looking out onto the waves. Daichi followed his gaze, his eyes landing on a seagull gliding past the rising sun. “Nothing exciting, anyways.”</p><p>A world without excitement sounded like a hellscape to Daichi, and the ocean never seemed that way to him. The towering waves, unique creatures and infinite depths made it both a death trap and a beauty to behold. Upon the discovery of a merman, that feeling only doubled. It was one of the reasons Daichi had gotten so invested in surfing even as only a scrappy little preteen. How could it possibly not be exciting? “Doesn’t seem like that to me.”</p><p>“Yeah, you don’t live there.” He snorted, rolling his eyes. “I grew up in it all, I’ve travelled through and lived in many different seas and they’re all the same. Sand, seaweed, boat, patches of trash if I’m <em>lucky</em>. Y’know what? I think being a human would be so much more exciting.”</p><p>
  <em>Oh, I’m excited to hear this.</em>
</p><p> “You’ve got giant schools of people wandering around doing their own thing, unafraid of predators… You’ve got those giant metal things… They look like whales, kind of.” He pointed to the pier at the other side of the bay, where there were always trucks sitting, waiting for the next net of fish.</p><p>“What, the trucks?” Daichi snorted with soft laughter, which Suga didn’t seem to appreciate, but he continued on.</p><p>“Is <em>that</em> what they’re called?” He murmured. “Rather underwhelming, if I’m honest.”</p><p>Monday was the day that Suga shared with Daichi his dream.</p><p>“I’ve always wanted to walk along the shore.” He whispered it as if it was a secret, something close to his heart, and Daichi had to lean closer to him to hear it. He pointed out again, this time to the shining stone of the promenade running along the back of the beach. “I’ve had dreams about it, being free from the water, feeling everything beneath my… Y’know.” He gestured, this time, to Daichi’s feet, which made him laugh.</p><p>“Your feet? You don’t have those.”</p><p>“There are rumours among mermaids that I could get some!” Suga said with a smile, his honey-coloured eyes shining. “I’ve just never tried. And when I do… I’m going to explore the whole world.”</p><p>—</p><p>On Tuesday, it was raining. Not too heavily, but the pavement shone with the raindrops, and Daichi could feel water soaking into the bottom of his socks as he jogged to the beach. He carried an orange umbrella with him, not using it yet, deciding instead to focus on avoiding puddles. The warm filter that usually covered the town had faded for that day, and it instead seemed almost melancholic. Trekking across the rocks of the shore was deadlier than usual, and it took him three times as long to get to the water. So long that by the time he slipped to a stop, Suga was already there, trying his very best to keep in a laugh.</p><p>“You were doing great.” He said, snorting. “Keep going, I had fun watching.”</p><p>”Thanks, I’m glad I could entertain you.” Daichi laughed breathlessly, collapsing onto the smoothest and closest rock to him, unravelling his umbrella. He was already soaked, and so was Suga. Why the hell did he bring it, again?</p><p>Despite its redundancy, he held the umbrella over the both of their heads. Suga seemed to appreciate the break from the constant rainfall, so maybe it was worth it after all. “You look cold.”</p><p>He shook his head, smiling. “I’m alright. I’m left in wet clothes all the time, I’m a surfer.” He paused. “I was once left in a soaking wet pair of shorts and a t-shirt for four hours.”</p><p>Suga raised an eyebrow, gesturing for him to continue.</p><p>So, he sighed and continued. “I was in high school at the time, I had a team going. Me, Asahi, Tanaka, Ennoshita, Kinoshita, Narita and Kiyoko. We were surfing on the other side of the island, to compete against a team called Seijoh. They’re smug pricks, they thought they were <em>so good</em>… Turns out they were good though, and they beat us.” He chose to ignore the small laugh from Suga and pressed on. “Tanaka got all rowdy afterwards, when it was all over, and challenged them to a fight. We were standing on a pier, I tried to hold him back and instead, he accidentally pushed me into the water. I had no other change of clothes. And we always had a meal after competitions, so I had to sit in a restaurant with soaking wet clothes. Then on the bus ride home too. The bus seat looked like I’d peed on it.”</p><p>When he was finished, he just sat there, staring at the man in front of him who was doing his best to keep in laughter. His face was now bright pink from the effort. He rolled his eyes. “Just laugh already.”</p><p>He did, and Daichi’s heart leapt at the sound, despite the frustrating topic. “That’s a good story!”</p><p>“It’s a shitty story.” He huffed. “It’s the biggest regret of my life!”</p><p>“What, peeing on a seat?”</p><p>“No! Losing to Seijoh!” Daichi groaned dramatically, the umbrella faltering in his grip when he leaned back so his face was in the rain. ”It was annoying, we knew we were better.”</p><p>It wasn’t just annoying. The memory of that tournament alone brought rage up in Daichi like vomit, he could feel the disappointment as if he’d just watched the judges list their scores all over again.</p><p>The last game of their third year came to a crashing and burning end. Asahi’s hair was sopping wet, tied back messily, Kiyoko had a new graze on her leg, Tanaka wouldn’t stop yelling across the beach at a team that was too busy celebrating to care. Their very last chance to prove themselves, get a positive start in the world of surfing, and it was drowned by those pricks in light blue wetsuits.</p><p>He was standing there in the cold, watching the sun go down. Asahi was saying something sappy about their last competition being over and missing it all after graduation. Tanaka suggested a future in surfing, so they could finally beat Seijoh and be the best, but it was met with cold, hard silence. </p><p>The rain pattered to a stop, barely leaving ripples in the rock pools by Daichi’s feet, so he lowered his umbrella, wrapping it back up, with Suga keenly watching.</p><p>On Tuesday, Daichi shared his dream.</p><p>“I’ve always wanted to beat them. Even on my own, to prove that I could.”</p><p>Suga hummed in thought, tapping his chin. “Well… You’re better at it now,” He said. “So maybe you could.”</p><p>Daichi smiled, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. “Yeah. Maybe. Most of them did it professionally, it’s more of an intense hobby for me… So I doubt I’d have a chance anyway.”</p><p><em>But,</em> he thought to himself, <em>my competition wins have to count for something, right? My years of practise and teaching?</em></p><p>Daichi had confidence, he wasn’t unsure of his abilities. He was good. Good enough to win. Just maybe not against Seijoh. The feeling of loss washing over him was still fresh in his mind, despite it being so long ago. It was overwhelming. He hadn’t thought about it so much for a long time.</p><p>“Watch them then.” The merman replied simply, unaware of the thoughts he’d interrupted. “You’ll know if you’re better or not, and whether you could beat them.” He smiled. “You didn’t look too bad a few days ago, even if you did fall off and almost kill yourself.”</p><p>Daichi laughed at that. “That wasn’t surfing, I was just instructing.” He replied. “I’ll show you my surfing sometime.”</p><p>Suga’s eyes lit up, and he could practically see a light bulb appear above his head. “Ah! I could help you! Wi-With your surfing practise!”</p><p>“Oh yeah?” An interesting idea, to say the least.</p><p>“Yeah! I could be useful. I can read the waves, I know when they’re gonna be big or overwhelming. And I can catch you if you fall off.” He only got more excited as he voiced his idea, his tail swaying back and forth in the water. “In return, you can help me get legs! How’s that? We could be like partners!”</p><p>Daichi paused to consider this, a soft smile on his face. The sun shone out of the clouds, illuminating them both in a warm glow. It made him realise how cold it actually had been, the wind was chilling and he was left sitting on a wet rock when the rain stopped. He hadn’t even noticed. They both seemed to create a warmth between them, a sort of comforting feeling that numbed everything else. “Partners? Sounds good to me. Deal.”</p><p>—</p><p>“D’you want some?”</p><p>“Oh, <em>gross!</em> No!”</p><p>It was Wednesday. It was slightly earlier than it had been the two previous days when Daichi sat down on the rocks, and Suga’s silver hair popped above the waves within a minute of waiting.</p><p>Except today, he was taking a bite out of an entire, live fish.</p><p>“It’s my breakfast.” Suga said, one of his eyebrows cocked in confusion. He held out the fish proudly, flashing his sharp teeth at a pale, slightly nauseous Daichi. “What, do you think I don’t eat breakfast too?”</p><p>“No, I just— Please put it away, Suga.” He pleaded. He was forced to look away, covering his mouth with the back of his hand. Blood, even if just from a fish, made him feel queasy.</p><p>“It’s good for you!”</p><p>“It’s absolutely not.”</p><p>“I thought this was a fishing town, don’t you see dead fish all the time?”</p><p>“Yeah, but not ones with a huge bite out of them, getting eaten alive in front of me. And I’m not the one catching the damn fish!” Daichi lowered his guard, looking back over at the merman. He sighed. “Just hurry up and eat it. You can’t miss breakfast.”</p><p>Suga was silent for a moment. Then he smiled mischievously, holding the fish up again. “Wanna see me take its head off, or—?”</p><p>“Suga!”</p><p>“Alright, alright!”</p><p>Daichi couldn’t bear to watch as Suga tore the fish apart with his sharp teeth, seeming perfectly content with something so strange to Daichi. Sure, he ate fish. He ate sushi on a regular basis. But that wasn’t the same as eating a fish live, straight from the sea, bones and scales and all. He didn’t like thinking about it, so he covered his ears and closed his eyes as Suga finished his meal. He felt a soft tap on his knee after a minute, and opened his eyes to see a beaming Suga holding up empty hands and flashing clean teeth. “Okay, I’m done. You can stop being a baby now, Daichi. I had a thought about yesterday.”</p><p>“Shoot.” He nodded.</p><p>“Well,” Suga cleared his throat, “I said I could get legs, didn’t I? I was right. I asked around— the rusalka in the area were very helpful— apparently back in the day, before you humans all got your flashy photo-sharers, we used to do it a lot. Come up onto shore and play pranks on people, or whatever. They stopped it though, it was too dangerous and revealed where they settled.” He took a deep breath, his demeanour suddenly changing to something sadder. Daichi hadn’t seen him sad in the entire time he’d known him, it was strange, almost unnatural. He felt an urge to put a stop to it. Immediately. But he let him continue. “I don’t have a school of merpeople anymore because of humans. We were all split apart some time ago, I don’t know if they’re dead or looking for me on the other side of the ocean. I’ve given up looking. I don’t have any family to put in danger anymore by revealing myself— So I can be reckless. I want to do it.”</p><p>That answered Daichi’s question from a few days ago, he supposed. Suga no longer minded about being a secret or being seen, since it was only him that could get hurt by it… As long as he fulfilled his dream, he didn’t care.</p><p>Well, <em>Daichi</em> cared now.</p><p>“I can get legs, it’s pretty easy.” Suga continued. “Really, all I have to do is get properly out of the water and dry my tail off completely. It takes a long time, but legs will start to form. My gills will go too, they’re amphibious, so I can breathe.”</p><p>Old Japanese legends talked of this too, an ability to shapeshift between human and half-human. He didn’t know of any details, any dangers or anything, but he supposed if Suga didn’t mention them, there must not be any that are too important. He hoped, at least.</p><p>He made a mental note to research it. Just to be safe.</p><p>“Alright,” Daichi nodded, a determined look in his eyes. “Fine. My one condition is that we keep you hidden and be cautious.”</p><p>“Did you not listen? I <em>said</em> I don’t mind being—“</p><p>“Ah ah ah, no way. I’m keeping you safe and secret.” Daichi’s voice was firm, it couldn’t be argued against. “That’s my one condition. Nobody finds out about you.”</p><p>The merman had thrown caution to the wind, but Daichi refused to. He knew how people could react— how they <em>would</em> react— to such an unnatural creature. Brief images of exploitation and fame came to mind, and they made his head swim. He wouldn’t let that happen to Suga, he outright refused to. They had to be careful.</p><p>Suga frowned. He considered it and let out a sigh. “Fine. Deal. I help you with surfing and you help me explore, as long as I’m kept secret. We’re partners.”</p><p>Daichi smiled, which prompted a warm smile from Suga, despite his earlier frown. They were partners.</p><p>—</p><p>On Thursday, Daichi realised the week was slipping through his fingers like wet, disappointing sand.</p><p>In only four short days, he’d be back at work, no more spare time to talk to Suga. Four days had already passed, flowing past him so warmly and easily. So, early that morning, he formulated a plan on a small, crumpled piece of paper he found at the bottom of a pile of spam letters he’d gotten through his door.</p><p>At the shore, he crouched down to Suga, who looked curious about the chicken-scratch writing Daichi presented. “I made a plan.”</p><p>“For… What?”</p><p>“For when you get legs, pay attention.” </p><p>“Ooh, show me.”</p><p>Daichi cleared his throat, gesturing to the completely illegible writing on the paper. “Friday night is best for me. I’m free, I don’t have online classes then, and I have the weekend afterwards to support you if you need it.” He pointed to the second line. “I have some things I need to do on Friday morning, so I won’t be able to make it for our usual meeting. I’ll be here in the evening, just before the sun starts to set. I have everything I need to make it smooth and secretive. My truck is big enough to take you to my house, the cover of darkness will certainly help... I have space to let you sleep there, and plenty of food. I have time after work to help teach you things, like how to walk.”</p><p>He waited with bated breath for Suga’s reaction, staring at him as he lowered his little bit of paper.</p><p>Luckily for him, Suga was delighted with the idea. He beamed, his tail swaying behind him and glittering in the early sunlight. “Amazing plan, Daichi. Really! This is so exciting… I feel like I’m doing something steamily dangerous.” He ignored Daichi’s amused reaction to the phrase, instead clambering further up onto the rocks. “Thank you.”</p><p>“Don’t thank me.” Daichi replied. “I’m happy I can help you reach your dream.”</p><p>They talked for hours afterwards, about everything and nothing, flourishing in the warmth between them. The specifics of their plan were discussed, Daichi suggested some fish recipes he could make while Suga stayed with him, which were received with a bright smile. It was intoxicating, Suga’s happiness, Daichi wanted to make him smile all day long. Suga smiled with an ease and warmth that Daichi had never seen before, and it was contagious.</p><p>When their time together ended, Suga didn’t stop waving goodbye to Daichi (with both his hand and his tail) until he was no longer visible in the distance. Afterwards was always like a vacuum, with the warmth gone everything seemed a little bit colder. It was a bright evening, no clouds in sight, and the sun was beginning to set. It bathed the shop fronts with a soft orange light. Everything was peaceful.</p><p>Well, until—</p><p>“DAICHI!”</p><p>Someone screamed his name from the shore, and immediately, he was on high alert. He looked over, and a short, shadowy figure with fluffy hair and both arms waving to him stood there. “Hey! Daichiiiii! Over here! What’re you doing on the beach?!”</p><p>It was Hinata, standing by a volleyball net with someone that seemed to be Kageyama, judging by the height difference and threatening aura directed at the short ginger.</p><p>He felt himself relax, and he waved back. For a moment, he’d expected the worst. He cast a glance to Ukai’s store, but it was closed up by now of course, he and Takeda would no doubt be at home. No danger of getting an earful.</p><p>“I was in town, thought I’d walk back along the promenade! What’s up, Hinata?” He asked, cupping his hands to his mouth so his voice would reach from the promenade to the beach.</p><p>“I need you to tell Kageyama that I have talent!”</p><p>“Not in beach volleyball you don’t!” A ball when flying past Hinata’s head and he squealed, jumping in the opposite direction.</p><p>“Careful where you throw that thing, jeez!”</p><p>“Keep it down, you two.” Daichi called out. He made his way down the stone steps and onto the sand. The tide had come in for the night, reaching halfway up the usual shore, and yet the volleyball net the two boys stood at was still so far away from the water. “People are settling down for the night. You should be, too.”</p><p>“I just wanted a quick game.” Kageyama piped up, retrieving the ball from close to the water, making sure not to even make the slightest contact with it. “But turns out, pipsqueak here is useless.”</p><p>“I’m not, you just have more experience than me!”</p><p>“Volleyball, huh?” Daichi murmured, thoughtful, watching them both bicker with a smile. “Never played much, maybe a week or two doing it in high school. Are you good?” He asked Kageyama, to which he received a creepily determined smile.</p><p>“Good? I’m the best. I play setter. Well, <em>played</em>.”</p><p>“Played?”</p><p>“Yeah, I didn’t get into any professional teams. I’m too controlling or something.” He grumbled, squeezing the ball between both hands like it was the head of his enemies. “So I came down here.”</p><p>“Sounds like you made the right choice!” Hinata chirped, jumping up and down around him, trying to seize the ball from Kageyama’s tight grip. “You can try surfing! And beach volleyball is probably just as fun as normal volleyball!”</p><p>“Surfing? No way, shut up— Stop jumping around, dumbass!” He barked, grabbing the front of his hoodie, and only letting go when Daichi clasped his wrist.</p><p>“Calm down, both of you.” He said. He had a special stern voice he used when dealing with situations like this, it had proved useful when calming down Tanaka or trying to stop Nishinoya from endangering his life. It went back to normal, and he let out a weary sigh. “I think you should both go home, it’s getting late.”</p><p>“Fine.” Kageyama muttered, keeping his ball under one arm. Hinata groaned, but didn’t object, and raised his hand for a high-five from Daichi.</p><p>“Goodnight, Daichi.” He said, smiling when the high-five was returned. “I’ll see you for surfing lessons!” He quickly dashed after the taller man, saying something about them both taking Daichi’s lessons together, which only earned him a whack on the back of the head.</p><p>Daichi watched them both make their ways from the beach up to the promenade and into town, talking and bickering until they were out of sight.</p><p>—</p><p>Friday felt different somehow, and Daichi couldn’t exactly pinpoint how.</p><p>Not just because of his amazing, genius plan. The air felt different. Lighter, almost. There was a cold chill in his apartment, one he chased away by switching on the heating and huddling by the radiator until it was soothingly warm.</p><p>It was later than he would usually wake up, but he had the time. With the promise of a meeting late at night, Daichi had the time to make sure his plan for Suga would be foolproof and airtight, no space for error. He had a mental list of things to do and check, starting with Nekoma Vet Clinic.</p><p>Nekoma Vet Clinic was in the back of town, close to the foot of the mountain. It took about half an hour to get to by foot, but it was a scenic route, lined with various trees, and often cherry blossoms in the spring. The clinic was an old, white building surrounded by the trees and foliage, much to the chagrin of the receptionist. Ivy climbed up the front, almost reaching the bright red roof. The windows were large and the doors were glass too, as Daichi approached he could see clearly inside the front desk, labelled in large red letters ‘NEKOMA CLINIC’. He pushed the doors open and noticed the distinct lack of animal noises or distressed owners, in fact it was empty as far as he could see. He could hear some dull chatter behind some closed doors at the back of the reception, and some sharp bird noises, but nothing more. Beside the front desks were empty, comfy looking waiting chairs and three doors to private examination rooms.</p><p>He smiled at the man at the desk, even though it wasn’t returned. “Kenma, good morning!”</p><p>The man looked up from his phone, his eyes as catlike and bored as ever. Two-toned hair hung over half of his face. “Oh,” He hummed. “Hi, Daichi. Usually, people come here with pets. A cat or something.” He looked him up and down, slowly. “And you don’t.”</p><p>Daichi simply smiled, leaning forward onto the counter. A smell of disinfectant hit his nose, but it appeared someone had tried to smother it with something vanilla-like, as there was a hint of that too. “I actually came here to get some tips on taking care of fish.”</p><p>Kenma paused, staring at him, bewildered. “Right. I’ll buzz for Kuroo… Yaku’s on house call right now with Lev.”</p><p>Daichi had known both Kenma and Kuroo from high school. They were fantastic surfers that often played against his team, their teams had a whole rivalry, but neither Kenma nor Kuroo had decided to pursue it professionally. Instead, they opened the clinic together, the only one on the island, and employed anyone passionate and qualified enough. It had a warm atmosphere to it, and was usually full of animals from across the island. Kenma had a special liking for cats, shown by the cartoonish stickers on his computer or the cat toys on his desk, but was also oddly well-liked by all animals he came across. Daichi supposed this could have been because of his quiet nature, at least on the surface (he’d seen Kenma screaming at his teammates while dripping in saltwater, looking like a feral cat. He was definitely only gentle on the surface). Kuroo had the immense knowledge and warmth to be a vet, so together, they were an excellent team, and appreciated across the island.</p><p>Kenma pressed down on a green buzzer, and after a moment of stillness and some odd squawking, Kuroo emerged from the second of the private rooms, prying tight disposable gloves from his hands. His hair was the same as it always had been, a spiky black part half-covering one of his eyes. He was tanned, despite his job keeping him mostly inside. He beamed at the sight of Daichi, and Daichi grinned back. “Hey, man! Good to see you! It’s been a while.” He dropped the gloves, which Kenma managed to catch and drop into a waste bin, all without looking up from his phone. “Kenma, do me a favour and call Yamamoto sometime today and ask him to come in this week, I need his help with treating that damn bird.” </p><p>This request was met with a distracted hum, which he deemed an acceptable reply.</p><p>Daichi and Kuroo exchanged a tight handshake, which Kenma watched with a raised eyebrow. Neither flinched, despite how crushing the handshake was, their hands flexing at an unhealthy level. It was a thing they’d done before contests in high school, and apparently it had carried on past then. “What’d’ya need? We don’t do human injuries, so I can’t do anything about your concussion, sorry.”</p><p>“Shit, <em>everyone</em> really <em>has</em> heard about that.”</p><p>“Yup.” Kenma hummed from his desk, face buried in his phone once again. “Shoyou texted me. Pretty much everyone knows.”</p><p>“Amazing. Of course he did.” Daichi sighed. He made a mental note to never tell Hinata anything ever again. “I’m totally fine now, so there’s no need anyways. Actually Kuroo, I was looking for some tips.”</p><p>Kuroo nodded, pulling away from their handshake to gesture down to one of the waiting area seats. “Sit down, man. As an old friend, I’ll give you my expertise completely for free.”</p><p>“Lucky me.” Daichi sat on the nearest chair, sinking halfway into it in a way that was actually comfy instead of disorientating.</p><p>Kuroo laughed. It was just as hyena-like as it always had been. “Alright, shoot.”</p><p>“I was thinking of, um, keeping some fish in my house.” Daichi started. He was completely aware of how odd he sounded, it would almost be embarrassing if he wasn’t doing it for a good cause. “And I need to know how I’d do that.”</p><p>“Like, goldfish?” He smirked. “I’d think a grown man like you would know how to take care of some goldfish.”</p><p>“No! Jeez. I was thinking, like… Saltwater fish.”</p><p>“Saltwater fish?” Kuroo’s expression morphed to one of confusion, but he didn’t ask any questions, and just nodded. He could see that Daichi clearly knew what he was thinking; this was fucking weird. “I wouldn’t really recommend it, they’re not really made to be kept domestically. I expect they’ll die pretty quick.” Daichi shuddered at this thought, but knew for sure that this wasn’t a possibility for him. He wasn’t housing any normal fish, after all. “You’re gonna need a tank big enough for free swimming, some saltwater for them to hang out in, and their usual diet available to them easily.” He paused. “But, again, I really wouldn’t recommend keeping them as pets, Daichi.”</p><p>Daichi shot up from his seat, smiling down at the bewildered-looking Kuroo. “Thank you! That’s all I need.”</p><p>“Um, alright man. If you’re sure… I’ll see you arou—” Kuroo barely got a chance to say goodbye, Daichi was already pushing open the doors to run back into town. Excitement rose in him as he ran, and it resulted in a sudden smile that he couldn’t get rid of.</p><p>A large tank for Suga wasn’t needed. He’d seen across the week that he could spend hours with his torso out of water, so the bathtub in his apartment would do. He had his truck to transport buckets of saltwater to his house from the beach, that was simple, and Suga ate fish, which was readily available across the island. Not only that, but Daichi had a few recipes up his sleeve.</p><p>So far, so good.</p><p>Next on Daichi’s list was Miyagi Community Library.</p><p>It was more familiar to him than the vet clinic, he had made the journey to the library almost every weekday for a whole year. It was a nice place to work, peaceful and mostly empty apart from a few pensioners and high school nerds on occasion. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi were pleasant enough to work with, despite their complicated feelings.</p><p>It was an old building in the centre of the town, red brick with a dark roof, with withering and out-of-date book release posters in every window. The doors were large and wooden, with old rattling door knobs that Daichi hated. The doors creaked when he opened them, the smell of old books washed over him as he made his way through the threshold.</p><p>The front desk was to his left, and behind it was a short line of out-of-date computers, computers which had often driven Daichi to his wit’s end with their slow speed and weird, clunky keyboards. To his right was bookshelf after bookshelf of books, a rainbow of colours across the dark shelves. It all had a comfy, warm atmosphere; the light streaming in through a window illuminated the dust in the air and a line of books in the teen fiction section. It was all so familiar and comforting, a brief feeling that he felt with every shift working there.</p><p>There was no sign of either Tsukishima or Yamaguchi, but that didn’t worry him. They could often be found pouring themselves over books on dinosaurs, or quietly chatting while setting books back onto their shelves, or trying to work out how to get rid of some noisy teenagers at the tables in the middle of the room. No matter what they were doing, it was usually as a pair. </p><p>So, when Daichi came across Yamaguchi on his own in the engineering section, it was a shock.</p><p>He was sitting back against the bookshelf, a large book sitting open on his lap. He didn’t look up when Daichi approached, too engrossed in what he was reading. Even in appearance, he looked shy. His posture was crooked, trying to make himself small, and the freckles covering his face and arms made him look a bit like a baby deer. It was a strong contrast to his best friend, who was tall and intimidating and stood strong against anyone. </p><p>“Yamaguchi?” Daichi said, looking down at him with an easy, friendly smile. “What’s up? Is Tsukishima ill or something, where is he?”</p><p>Yamaguchi looked up at him, closing over his book, but making sure to keep his thumb on the page he’d been reading. “Daichi!” He smiled back. “It’s good to see you, you look better! I thought you were taking the day off?” He neglected to answer Daichi’s question, which was odd. He usually seized any opportunity to talk about his best friend or worry about him.</p><p>“Yeah, I’m here for knowledge instead of a paycheck, actually.” Daichi offered him a hand to help him up, and Yamaguchi gladly took it, holding his book in his free hand as he stumbled to his feet. “You didn’t answer my question, where’s Tsukishima?” </p><p>There was a moment of silence, with Yamaguchi awkwardly shifting on his feet, scraping his trainers against the worn carpet. “Um… Well, I think he’s been avoiding me.” His eyes wandered over, through a gap in the shelves. “He was avoiding me yesterday too, it’s super weird. I can’t remember if I’ve done something wrong, or maybe if I said something…” He trailed off, ending with a sigh and a shrug.</p><p>“I doubt it.” Daichi sighed. He already knew exactly what this was about, and it was his fault for taking the week off in the first place. “I don’t think you’ve done anything wrong, you literally haven’t done anything wrong in your life.”</p><p>“I must have done something, because he’s been sitting in the palaeontology section all day reading about his comfort dinosaurs. A few hours ago, he helped out a customer just so he didn’t need to talk to me.” </p><p>Daichi inhaled sharply, <em>this really must be bad, huh.</em></p><p>“Okay. I think, maybe, you should actually try to go up to him.” He said, and Yamaguchi tried to disagree, but Daichi held up a hand to quiet him. “No, I know you haven’t Yamaguchi, you never do. And don’t just apologise either, I suggest trying to get an explanation out of him.” He paused, lowering his hand again. Yamaguchi looked way more forlorn than he usually did, it was like looking at a kicked puppy. “Sorry for leaving you this week.”</p><p>“It’s alright. Everything was fine for a few days.” Yamaguchi took a big, deep breath, his chest expanding and his hands trembling. “Okay. I’ll ask him.” His nerve was lost after only a few seconds. “But first I gotta help you find what you’re looking for.”</p><p>“No, that isn’t as important—”</p><p>“Don’t be silly, Daichi.”</p><p>Daichi knew he was just trying to stall, he was the last person to try confrontation, if ever. But his shaking hands and wide eyes displayed his level of fear and nerves, and it brought sympathy out of Daichi, so he gave in. </p><p>“Alright. But I’ll fucking march you to the bastard afterwards if I have to.”</p><p>“Okay! What’re you looking for?” Quickly, he noted the page he’d been at in his book, then placed it back into the shelf.</p><p>“I work here too y’know, I don’t need help with finding it.”</p><p>“Just tell me! It’ll give me something to do.”</p><p>“Fine. Come on.” Daichi gestured for him to follow, as he walked past him to the end of the row of books. </p><p>What <em>was</em> he looking for?</p><p>He needed to find anything he could on mermaids, any sightings on the island, rumours, news reports, proven facts, theories, <em>anything.</em></p><p>To keep Suga safe, he needed to know how much the people of the island knew. To find that, local newspapers would probably be best. Suga mentioned that those before him had played pranks on the people of the island, but how long ago was that? Would anybody recognise him, or anything about his mannerisms? </p><p>Was this maybe just Daichi overthinking?</p><p>That was often the case, but despite that, he pressed on. Better to over-prepare than under-prepare. There was a lot at stake.</p><p>“So,” Daichi walked down the aisle between shelves, registering every row name, he knew exactly where to go. “I’m looking for old newspaper clippings about any strange creatures in town. Like, um, sea anomalies.”</p><p>There was a long pause filled by the sound of their footsteps, Yamaguchi’s noticeably softer and quicker even as he walked behind Daichi.</p><p>“Why?” He asked.</p><p>“Curiosity, I suppose.” It wasn’t exactly a lie.</p><p>“Hmm. Okay.”</p><p>He stopped at one of the last rows, glancing down it and cracking a smile, finally. “Ah. Local newspapers. Come on.” He walked down the row, reading every label. </p><p>
  <em>Nerima Standard, 2005-2006<br/>
Miyagi Sunday Best, 1999-2000<br/>
Miyagi Daily, 1999-2000<br/>
The Miyagi Reader, 1980-1981<br/>
Kanto Weekly, 2010-2011</em>
</p><p>He really needed to reorganise these shelves someday.</p><p>“This might take a little while.” Yamaguchi remarked as he ran his finger through a layer of dust on top of the <em>Kanto Digest</em> issues of 2002.</p><p>“I think just the Miyagi newspapers will be alright.” Daichi hummed, just as unimpressed at the state of the papers. He picked up a <em>Miyagi Daily</em> from 2015 with a sigh. “The ones past 2001 probably, too.”</p><p>Well, at least he counted for the time this would take.</p><p>The two of them got to work, hauling piles of newspapers to the nearest table, out in the open space free of bookshelves. By the time they were done gathering them, the table was covered in piles of newspapers ranging to off-colour and brand new. Yamaguchi looked daunted, like he was being faced with the apocalypse, but Daichi had his hands on his hips, staring at the papers like a challenge.</p><p>Within an hour, they were both draped over chairs, braindead.</p><p>“I don’t think I can read another word.” Yamaguchi groaned, dropping his chosen newspaper onto the carpet. “I will die. I will die, Daichi. Die-chi.”</p><p>“Stop talking, I’m trying to process what I’m reading.” Daichi murmured, but he wasn’t. For the last five minutes he’d been distracted by the colourful adverts on the page he was reading. Anything was better than the awful writing of the local journalists. Apparently, nothing exciting ever happened in Miyagi, or the whole island, ever.</p><p>From the many, many pieces of writing so far, Daichi had gathered less than half a page of a notepad of information, and none of that was actually about mermaid sightings. It was about a sale at the sports store across the island. Yamaguchi, however, had absolutely nothing. Occasionally, he read out a line about a strange fish caught or a new person in town, but after Daichi read the articles over, it was obvious none of it was about mermaids.</p><p>He was beginning to lose hope of finding anything, but that wasn’t exactly bad news. It meant Suga was slightly safer, nobody suspected anything about strange creatures in the sea.</p><p>“You two have been groaning like dying dogs for the last twenty minutes.” Someone said behind them. “I’m trying to read.”</p><p>Yamaguchi looked up, his eyes suddenly brightening from the dull boredom they’d been stuck on for a while. “Tsukki!”</p><p>Daichi turned to see Tsukishima standing there, awkwardly holding a book open at his chest. “Oh, hey man.”</p><p>“What are you even doing?” He asked, eyes running over the piles on the table they sat at, which had now spread onto the floor.</p><p>“Researching weird stuff in town. Do you wanna… Help?” Daichi asked, raising an eyebrow. He tried to hide it, but he winked, discreetly nodding his head towards Yamaguchi. This just made Tsukishima frown and sigh.</p><p>“Fine. If it’ll shut you up.”</p><p>So now they had Tsukishima sitting with them, or rather, sitting beside Yamaguchi across the table from Daichi. He kept glancing up at them, they were both pink in the cheeks and avoiding looking anywhere near each other.</p><p>He rolled his eyes. <em>Jeez. Talk about awkward pining.</em></p><p>“Ah! Ah! Found something!” Yamaguchi gasped, rustling the paper in both hands and thrusting it towards Daichi. “Look, in 2012, in the Miyagi Weekly!”</p><p>He shot up from his chair and took the newspaper from him, scanning the page it’s been open at. </p><p>According to the article, a boat coming in to shore caught a whole school of fish in their trailing net, but when they brought it to deck, amongst the completely normal fish were some people, screeching and cursing and naked. The fisherman swore that they had only caught fish, and the people seemed to be in pain. They brought the people to shore… But there was nothing else.</p><p>“Is that all?” Daichi asked, flipping through the other articles. “Shit... Thanks, Yamaguchi, that’s great, thank you.”</p><p>“Um, good job.” Tsukishima murmured.</p><p>“No problem! And thanks, Tsukki.” He replied with a smile.</p><p>Daichi was beginning to run out of time to complete his next tasks, so with a bow and pleading eyes, he excused himself and promised that on Monday he would put the papers back himself. In reply, Tsukishima and Yamaguchi said they’d keep looking for any follow-up articles.</p><p>Armed with his newfound knowledge, Daichi moved onto the next step on his mental list.</p><p>It was probably the easiest, because it didn’t involve much human contact, and therefore there would be no questions that were awkward to answer.</p><p>He got his truck from the small drive at the front of his house, and drove it to the beach, making sure it was far from any shops or houses. In the back, there was a pile of bright blue buckets, and he used them to gather as much seawater as possible. With every bucket he dropped into the back of his truck, the next one seemed to be heavier, and his arms ached by the time he had five. With the sixth, he decided that’d be enough.</p><p>Now, the sun was starting to set. He left his truck at home and jogged all to his usual meeting place with Suga. Everyone was making their ways home, lights from inside houses lit them up like candles, creating a soft glow around the town. Out on the shore, everything was bathed in the soft light of the quickly-setting sun.</p><p>Suga was already at the rocks, his grin bright when he caught sight of Daichi. Suddenly, the pain in his arms and the headache from reading so long was worth it.</p><p>—</p><p>“Helloooo? Hey! Earth to dumbass?”</p><p>No response.</p><p>“Oi! <em>Hinata!</em>”</p><p>He jolted out of his daydream to look at the man calling out his name. Kageyama, from the other side of the store, waved his hand at him, an irritated and slightly scary frown on his face. “What the hell are you staring at? I thought you said you were gonna help me.”</p><p>He’d promised Kageyama he would help close up the shop while Ukai talked out back with a supplier, as he’d spent all day bothering him anyway. He had nothing else to do that day, the sea was a little rough and he didn’t like the thought of getting yelled at by Daichi if he found out he’d been surfing in those conditions.</p><p>“Shut up! I can’t see over your shouting, Yamayama!”</p><p>“That makes no sense! And answer my question!”</p><p>Ignoring Kageyama’s yelling, Hinata looked back out of the window, at the familiar figure in the distance. Footsteps left in the sand, leading up to the black rocks of the headland, further leading up to <em>Daichi.</em> Hinata knew he probably shouldn’t be near the water in daylight, not after Takeda’s informed advice, but he certainly admired his resilience! Then again… He would get yelled at if <em>he</em> was going surfing at this time, and in those conditions…</p><p>Oh, hold on…</p><p>Daichi had no surfboard, not a single speck of black or orange in sight, and he wasn’t even in his wetsuit. In fact, he was in nice clothes, clothes Hinata had barely seen, because he always hung out with Daichi when he was in a wetsuit or clothes that could get wet and sandy.</p><p>“Hinata!”</p><p>“I’ll be right back!” He dashed out of the shop, the bell chiming as he did, but its pleasant sound was drowned out by Kageyama’s angry yelling.</p><p>He sprinted all the way down the stone steps onto the beach, following Daichi’s footsteps almost exactly.</p><p>What the hell was he doing? Secret casual surfing? Secret <em>lessons?!</em> Jeez, it made him excited to find out! The rocks near the headland were dangerous, Daichi would give anybody a stern telling-off for walking on them, but there he was, practically jogging and hopping between each rock.</p><p>He wasn’t too far behind, far enough to not be heard as he slipped across the rocky shore. It was much harder than Daichi made it look. As he approached where Daichi was standing— which was <em> right by the water by the way,</em> extremely dangerous— he saw a tuft of silver hair and something orange, glittering in the warm light of the sunset. </p><p>“Ummm, hey! Daichi!” Hinata waved to him with both hands, eyes closed and smile bright, not seeming to notice Daichi’s wide, horrified eyes as he turned. “What’re you up to?! It’s dangerous over here y’know!”</p><p>“Hinata!” He said, his voice panicked for a moment. “I— What are you doing?!”</p><p>“I asked you first!” Hinata replied, sticking his tongue out. “Who’s that?” </p><p>He pointed to the man in the water, only his torso visible from above the waves. The man smiled warmly.</p><p>“Hi there!”</p><p>“That’s— Um— That’s—“</p><p>“I’m Daichi’s partner!”</p><p>Everything was silent for a moment, only the crashing of the waves occupying it, then Hinata squealed.</p><p>“His <em>partner?!</em>”</p><p>Oh, dear god.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>this chapter is dedicated to cara, star and cami!! their threats to my life helped me finish this chapter. thank you so much guys, i love you!!!!<br/>thanks for sticking around, all of you! your comments on the last chapter meant the absolute world to me!!! if anybody has any questions, please feel free to ask.<br/>I hope you're all safe at home and staying healthy. because of quarantine and a chapter plan I made while procrastinating chapter 2, chapter 3 will be out quicker! for updates, it's best to follow my twitter, @aizawhat<br/>I love you all!! thank you!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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